Dear OLG Member: It is time for our Annual Meeting, which will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2019, at the Catawba Island Club (CIC). Registration is at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting starts promptly at 7:00 p.m. (Directions are provided at the end of this letter.) As we have invited several important speakers, the formal part of the meeting should last less than 20 minutes and will consist of only two items: a Treasurer’s Report and a vote to elect 3 members to a 3-year term to the Board of Directors. Listed below are the candidates for the Board. All candidates are currently serving on the Board of Directors.

Greg Baeppler Bay Village

Bob Bunsey Huron

Vitas Cyvas Willowick

Immediately following will be four very timely presentations:First, I will discuss our current relationship with the new Governor. Under our previous Governor, ODNR was not following the letter and the spirit of the Supreme Court’s decision in our lawsuit. For example, ODNR implemented an “emergency” permitting process in 2018 seemingly to help us. But, for obvious reasons, it was not well received by the public. As of the writing of this letter, we do not know if Governor DeWine is planning to rectify these policies. But, we should know more by the Annual Meeting.

Second, given the high-water levels of the Lake and the resulting damage to coastal structures and property along the Lake, we will have Lauren Schifferle, a Civil Engineer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Management Branch speak to us about these high water levels and what to anticipate in the future. You likely know that the Lake level rose over 8 inches just in April, and is rapidly approaching an all-time high.

Third, as every property owner is very concerned with the damage being caused by the elevated water levels coupled with seemingly endless storms, Keith Sendziak, a Biologist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Branch, will discuss what structures have been most effective in controlling avulsion and erosion. He will also discuss the Corps’ permitting process. (Spoiler alert – the Corps’ process is much more reasonable than the ODNR’s process.)

Fourth, Jim Stouffer, President of the Lake Erie Foundation, will speak about green algae and their efforts to bring about appropriate changes via a coalition of various groups and a multi-faceted approach. As always, there will be a question and answered period where you may raise your questions, comments or concerns to the experts. Please take advantage of this unique opportunity. As you can see, we have a lot of beneficial information to share with you. Therefore, please plan to attend the Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 30, 2019. Registration begins at 6:30p.m., and the meeting starts promptly at 7:00 p.m.

Light hors d’oeuvres, coffee, and soda will be available. You might recall that because we settled our lawsuit, the Board reduced annual membership dues. Our previous dues were $50 per year, plus a requested additional contribution to support the lawsuit. The dues structure is now $50 per year for those who have (cumulatively) contributed less than $1,000, and $25 per year for those who have (cumulatively) contributed $1,000 or more. Additional contributions are welcome, but not requested at this time.I hope to see you there.